The Best Water Coolers 2022: Picks for All Types of Households

2022-10-26 14:46:19 By : Mr. Jeff Lu

Our product picks are editor-tested, expert-approved. We may earn a commission through links on our site.

"Now that's what I call high-quality H20."

WATER COOLERS have so much more potential than just being a lukewarm office hangout spot. Thanks to the tech that's out there these days, consider using a water cooler in your home-gym or WFH office. Heck, the best water coolers are even functional and stylish enough for placement in your kitchen.

What's great about the latest water coolers is they've expanded to have better designs and more niche purposes. Looking for a small countertop water dispenser? No problem. How about a water cooler that hides a bulbous five-gallon jug? Yup, you bet. Searching for a water cooler that also doubles as a hydrating station for pets too? You best believe they're out there.

We curated all of our favorite water coolers on the market to help break the traditional mode of thought on how the appliance should be used. Using a water cooler also has two major benefits: you save money by buying water in bulk, and you save the planet by using a refillable jug as opposed to plastic water bottles.

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Enough of us talking. Your new water cooler awaits!

There's a reason why this water cooler is widely regarded as the best on the market right now. Thanks to its premium dual-filtration system, the Avalon comes with a refillable five-gallon jug you can refill with tap water—so no more trips going back and forth to the grocery store. It offers cold, hot, or room temperature water and has a child safety lock to prevent the hot water from accidentally pouring out. Couple it all with the fact the filters last for six months and you've got an MVP cooler right here.

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Perhaps our favorite water cooler of them all (pet owners love pet-friendly products) this Prim0 has a built-in station that delivers purified water from the cooler and into the dishwasher safe pet bowl down below. It comes with a hot and cold water function up top for everyday use and takes most three and five-galloon jugs (pet bowl water only comes in at room temperature).

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This limited edition dispenser from Brio sits neatly on a countertop and delivers hot, cold, and room temperature water. Our two favorite features include a child safety lock to prevent any unintended dispensing of hot water, and a removable drip tray that allows for easier cleaning.

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The OG water cooler design that has been reliable for decades, this Safeplus comes with a hot and cold water dispenser and has an easy removal/install process of a three of five-galloon jug. The best feature though is the price point.

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Rechargeable via USB, this electric drinking water pump can be slapped onto most five gallon water jugs and start dispensing right then and there. Not only is this a wallet-friendly option for those who don't use water jugs that often, but it also works great when you're taking water outdoors to picnics or tailgates.

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Another solid pick from Primo, this water cooler comes in a sleek all-black design that hides a five-gallon jug down low. Dispenses cold, hot, and room temperature water and has a child lock on the hot water spout.

A countertop model under the Avalon brand, this top loading dispenser takes three and five gallon jugs and offers hot and cold water (no room temp setting). We see this as an ideal water cooler that can eliminate the need for a hot water kettle used to make tea or oatmeal.

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This Amazon top-seller is just under $50 and made from strong heavy duty steel. We'd probably recommend storing a rack in a garage or home-gym (or wherever there's tough flooring) to prevent any scuffing or scraping, but this rack has screw-in rubber feet that will help prevent floor damage wherever its placed.

Similar in construction to the rack above, this four-tiered holder will store up to eight five-gallon jugs. It's got screw-in rubber feet that will help protect flooring, but due to the size and potential weight this rack can hold we'd recommend for garage storage only.

This rack also has steel construction and screw-in feet. The only difference is each tier can be attached or detached depending on how many jugs you want to store at a time. Plus, it comes in three different colors: black, brown, or silver.

There are three different types of water coolers you can buy: a top-loader, a bottom-loader, and a cooler connected by a water line. We omitted the water line cooler in this roundup because they require strategic setup and can only be used when next to a water line—thus greatly limiting the versatility and simplicity in what we believe a jug-supplied water cooler can offer.

A top-loader water cooler is, you guessed it, a cooler where you load the water jug on top. Due to them being placed on top, gravity allows the water to come down through the jug, which often makes the appliance cheaper since there's no need to install a pump to bring water upward. The only downsides about top loaders is they can leak and are annoying to hoist up at times.

A bottom-loader goes under the cooler and is usually disguised by a closing door. These appliances are often more appealing in design and easier to install a water jug in. The only con is a bottom loader is typically more expensive due to the fact you need some sort of pump to bring the water upwards to the spout.

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For the past three years, Men's Health editors and writers have been trying and testing a wide array of water coolers. To narrow down our favorites, we evaluated water coolers based on their ease-of-use, features, and price point. We also considered water coolers that had at least 100 five-star ratings on e-commerce sites we trust.